The Paralympics and Disability Representation in Sports

Each month, SOAR365 collaborates with local independent radio station WRIR to produce and broadcast a radio show and podcast focused on disability.  

Titled “Discussing Disability,” the show features interviews with staff and participants of SOAR365, as well as friends in the disability community, with the goal of bringing disability into daily conversations and to introduce underrepresented perspectives. 

In September 2024, host of the show, Nate Wise, sat down with Hannah Smith! Hannah is a senior Communication major at Wisconsin-Whitewater where she plays wheelchair basketball, but is originally from the Richmond area and has an extensive history of working with Sportable. 

Also the founder of the “See it, Be It” project, Hannah was honored at the 2024 ESPY Awards as the winner of the annual Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award. 

We talked with her about her experiences, representation of disability sport in Virginia, and the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. 

CLICK THE AUDIO PLAYER BELOW TO LISTEN 

WRIR airs underrepresented music, news and views to provide a platform for cultural diversity in Richmond and strives to create an accessible and inclusive environment for amplifying ALL the voices that make up the Richmond Community. 

WRIR is on 97.3 FM in Richmond.